Beattie's $900k history book becomes Beattie biographical propaganda ...

Excerpt from the Courier Mail:

Peter Beattie makes history in controversial book

8 September 2007

Premier Peter Beattie could be the starting point for the writing of the official history of Queensland, sparking concerns among the state's historians.

Sources told The Courier-Mail academic Ross Fitzgerald would tackle Queensland's immediate past first in his lucrative taxpayer-funded history, before writing his way backwards to the state's early years.

Dr Fitzgerald, a professor of history at Griffith University, scored a contract worth $900,000 over three years to write a history of Queensland to celebrate the state's sesquicentenary in 2009.

The deal sparked a furore when it was revealed it was not put out to tender.

Sources have also revealed Dr Fitzgerald has been meeting regularly with Mr Beattie to discuss the book, adding fuel to the controversy.
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See - Beattie pays $900k of taxpayer's money for biography.